Friday, May 06, 2016

The National Observer Sinks Its Teeth into David Tkachuk - And It Ain't Letting Go.


Vancouver's own alternative media, The National Observer, strikes again. This time former Crown prosecutor turned journo, Sandy Garossino is calling "bullshit" on senior Tory senator, Dave Tkachuk.

 On Tuesday Senator David Tkachuk, the former chair of the powerful Senate Internal Economy Committee, penned an op-ed sharply contesting Mike Duffy's testimony that he'd advised the newly sworn-in senator to claim his Ottawa home as a secondary residence.

Never happened.

Further, he cleared the air about the infamous Deloitte audit. Just doing his fiduciary duty, as one does.

Ho-hum. "End of story," says the Senator.

Yet when the RCMP met with him in July, 2013, Tkachuk’s memory of all the events was ahem, hazy, to put it politely. Even though the events had happened just a few weeks earlier, Cpl Horton's report on Tkachuk's police interview (at p. 51) reads like a tête-á-tête with an amnesiac:

1. “He does not remember if Senator Duffy requested changes to the press release in February announcing the referral to Deloitte…”


In fact, email evidence entered at trial suggest that Duffy did indeed request changes through Nigel Wright. See emails #27 and 28, below.

2. “He does recall that there was… a letter from Senator Duffy’s lawyer… He does not recall the contents, nor who the letter was addressed to”

It was addressed to him (email #144).

3. “He does not recall proposing a solution to Nigel Wright that if Senator Duffy paid the money back, the Steering committee would stop the Deloitte audit…”

The letter from Duffy's lawyer apparently made enough of an impression that, one minute after receiving it, Tkachuk phoned Duffy's office requesting a call on a land line (email #145). 40 minutes later an internal PMO email is circulated which outlines a proposed settlement by which Tkachuk's Senate Committee would halt the Deloitte audit upon repayment (#email 146).

That was snappy, but Tkachuk wouldn't remember any of it just six months later.

Garossino's bit of journalism is exemplary and stands in brutal contrast to the garbage spewed out these days by the corporate media cartel. Tkachuk published his self-serving fantasy that the cartel journos swallowed whole. Garossino did a little digging, looked at some of the trial exhibits, and revealed Tkachuk for the wholesale dissembler he is and always has been.

It's a lengthy item completely deserving to be read in its entirety by following the link at the top.

I know there are some who whinge mightily at what Canada loses from the failure of cartel media outlets but work by real journos, Garossino calibre, only demonstrates how very little is actually lost. They wouldn't do what she did and, if we were left to cartel news, we would all be none the wiser.

Justin, tear down this corporate media cartel. Do it.




4 comments:

the salamander said...

.. Garossino really ripped that hysterical Harper thug a new one.. How apropos - just thinking of the sniggering going on behind Senator Tkachuck's back.. all over 'insider' Ottawa - Government - Senate etc etc.. The idiot poops out an Op-Ed that's fabricated of wet toilet paper strength & never mind any documented court testimony of his startling jaded 'memories'.. Good Gawd what's next from him? Rebuttal? Resignation? Or will it be the now standard ' i never read those emails' - 'it was a clerical error' - 'I have no knowledge of these things' .. or some vague Paramountcy Pronouncement about the fulsomness of time..

The Mound of Sound said...

Hey, Sal. I'm delighted that the National Observer has come along with The Tyee and other alternative news organizations. They fill a huge gap left by the corporate media cartel.

What Garossino dishes up is what used to be recognized as "hard news." This was raw information and analysis without the messaging and spin of the major papers. She took what Tkachuk said, found out how it compared to the documents and evidence brought out in court in the Duffy trial and used it to expose a puff piece of blatant, self-serving lying.

What does that tell us about the once respected Ottawa Citizen that they would let Tkachuk scrape his barnyard boots on their paper? What Garossino did would have been what any number of young 'keener' journos at the Citizen might have done 30 to 40 years ago. I've heard nothing back from the paper nor am I expecting a response.

Unknown said...

An excellent article. My guess is that Tkachuk and his ilk, who set up Duffy, really thought they got away with it. With Duffy not only exonerated in court and now back in the Senate, Tkachuk still believes his lies in his written op-ed will be believed over what Duffy stated in court about Tkachuk. Evidence of course does not lie. Garossino simply showed the documents that provided evidence in court. This evidence revealed that Tkachuk in his written op-ed was still lying. I'm sure he felt secure in the fact that the MSM would not investigate.Garossino really shows the role journalists should be playing in exposing the lies given by public figures.Tkachuk, along with his Con. thug allies don't get it. Evidence at the Duffy trial revealed the truth and in so doing exposed Tkachuk and others as liars, yet he still thinks he he can lie and get away with it.This is a persons reputation that Tkachuk is continuing to trash. Duffy should sue.

The Mound of Sound said...


A year ago there was a lot of talk about lawsuits in the post-trial period, Pamela. Those I knew in Duffy's legal team really believed he'd be acquitted of all charges, something I found a bit odd. Turns out they were right and everyone else had it wrong.

That said I doubt those lawsuits will go anywhere now (some of the pleadings have even been prepared) because Duffy's health won't permit it.

As for Garossino, she restores my faith in Canadian journalism and renews my hope for the restoration of a free press in Canada. For that to happen Justin would have to dismantle the corporate media cartel and I have no confidence in the Dauphin being that audacious.